This is the content of a flyer from the Egham fire station. It makes some very good points.

On Thursday 11:15 pm, Egham’s Firefighters left their picket line and answered a call to a serious traffic accident on the Windsor Road. On arrival the crew were faced with a serious Road Traffic Accident with a young man trapped in his car, with what we can only describe as critical injuries. The Green Goddesses and the Navy Rescue Tender had already been on scene for ten minutes although no real progress had been made.

After standing down the army, the Egham’s Crew, now accompanied by the Rapid Intervention Vehicle from Chertsey Fire Station, took 15 minutes to cut the casualty out and transfer him to the ambulance.

Despite the Navy Rescue Tender having the same cutting equipment as the regular Fire Engine, the personnel were still using hacksaws to remove the windscreen. The Doctor at the scene stated to Egham’s Crew – If you had not turned up, then this man would still be in his car this morning.

We are not blaming the Army lads for their efforts, as this is not
their job. But this accident we feel clearly demonstrates the point, that even if you are provided with the necessary equipment to carry out the task, you still need the TRAINING, the SKILLS and the EXPERIENCE to save someone’s life.

For this expertise and numerous other skills we are currently paid £6.50 an hour. All we want is £9.00 an hour. Is this really too much to ask.